"I'm so happy we decided to have you over for dinner," Emma's mother said, setting a five-cheese casserole, asparagus, meatloaf, and grilled shrimp on the table. She sat beside Emma's father, who passed the plates around the table. Emma took one while Jason smiled beside her.
"Thank you, Ms. Pear. It's always nice to spend time here. I hope you view me as another member of the family?" He picked up the big spoon, scooping the casserole onto his plate.
Emma's hand tightened around her spoon while she looked sideways at him.
"Of course, we do," her mother grinned while her father nodded his head. Of course they would love him; he always puts on his good-boy act in front of them. What parent would hate that?
Emma reached for the casserole spoon. "Emma, you know you're not supposed to eat that," her mother frowned, looking at Emma before passing her the bowl with the asparagus and the grilled shrimp. She pouted while she put some onto her plate. She didn't want this; she wanted casserole!
"My daughter always forgets how important it is to stay in shape." Emma glared at her before looking down at her plate. She glanced over at Jason; he was digging into his casserole happily. Apparently, her mother didn't care about his weight... God, she hated him. She would give anything to be with Blake right now.
The rest of dinner passed by dreadfully slow. Emma kept as quiet as possible; no one seemed to mind or notice as they continued talking amongst themselves. After dinner, Jason stood from the table, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It's been great as always, Mr. and Ms. Pear. I would love to do this again one day."
Her parents stood along with him, her mother taking the empty plates from around the table. "Well, now that it's summer, we would love to have you around more. After all, Emma's eighteenth birthday is over the summer, which you're of course invited to. It's January 1st!" she said while putting her plates into the dishwasher.
Emma's birthday was on January 1st. She never really even celebrated it. Why would her mother act like it's some big event to them? It was always overshadowed by New Year's; they never really ever planned anything for her.
She followed behind them as her parents walked Jason to the door. "Of course, I'll be here for her birthday. I'll miss you, baby, but I'll see you very soon," he turned, looking over at her. Her mother glanced down, seeing Emma's bored expression.
"I'm sure she'll miss you too, dear," she nodded with a smile. Her father reached out, shaking Jason's hand firmly.
"Have a good night, son." Jason smiled, clearly very aware that he had completely won over her parents. He blew her a kiss before walking out the door.
As soon as the door closed, her mother glared down at her. "Why were you being so incredibly rude tonight? He seems to really like you."
Emma just turned, making her way back upstairs to her room. She stopped halfway up the stairs, turning, looking down at her parents. "Maybe it's because he's not my type... I'm not into nutcases." She ran up the rest of the way upstairs into her room, slamming the door. She threw herself onto her bed, sighing heavily into her pillow, feeling her phone vibrate underneath. She pulled it out, reading the message.
Blake- I have a plan to get your parents to agree to let you go camping with us. It's kinda crazy, but it could work.
She rolled onto her back, typing a reply.
Emma- Let's do it.
Blake- Here's the plan...
She waited a few minutes while he typed up the crazy plan. But it may just be crazy enough to work.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
